Racing "Success" on my Beta

[mrquick68]

3rd race of the year on the Beta and I snatched the win I have been pushing for! Tough and slippery race and some fun moto in between, but together we (my Italian mistress and I) battled for the win! She excels in the tight woods, and holds her on the MX track. Need to dial in my starts and I'd think I'd finish a little cleaner head to toe!! Eating roost sucks.

[Marty Moose]

Always good to have a win well done.

[mrquick68]

Update for the racing season! I just finished the NORCS series up here and Washington and clinched the class championship. Pretty stoked!!! My class was pretty stacked all season. 24 to 30+ riders per race. I finished 2-1-2-1-2 for the 5 races and took the class by a fairly wide margin. Snagged the hole shot by a good bit my last race as well! Next year I'll be stepping up to the B class and a new bike. Haven't decided if I'll stick to a 300, or do a 250 or maybe try my hand at a 4T 350/390!

Thoughts? My races are pretty fast overall, with some tight sections and a bit of MX too. Hmmmm???

[Johnny Depp]

Congratulations on a great season. How much curiosity do other rider's have about your red girl? What do you consider the biggest asset's, and what would you like to improve upon with the Beta?

[mrquick68]

I get a bit on interest in my bike, but not tons of in-depth love and curiosity. She's very pretty, so I get a good amount of comments on her!

greatest assets:
1. Fast starter - I should be getting nearly every hole shot.
2. Feels thin and fairly nimble.
3. Stable at speed
4. Great brakes, clutch, and ergos.

Things that need improvement for racing:
1. She's not super light. A set of lighter wheels, LW battery, and no lighting would help.
2. the 300 may not be the best racing motor - it's punchy, but doesn't love to rev. Still plenty fast though. A 350 or 250 probably better for faster circuits. 300 works well in techy circuits where it's low/mid punch really helps out. the FMF Factory Fatty helped with this though.
3. Suspension... Even after I had Stillwell go through it all, it needs some help. The fork deflects to easily still mid corner, and even when setup a bit stiffer I still bottom often on the MX track portions. If I just race purely offroad w/ no MX it's pretty good.

All in all though, she's a great bike!! I just think there a minor room for improvement. If I had a race mechanic, i'm sure I could quickly sort this stuff out. But I don't, probably never will. Ha ha

[mrquick68]

New season, new bike. Loving the 390RR on fast tracks. Four strokes just work better for me racing. Cornering and their smoother power style really increases my speed. Earned a solid 4th place in my first Hare Scramble of the season yesterday. Would have liked to get on the podium, but its a new class for me, and now I'm racing with the big dogs, so its whole new experience. The race is an hour longer, and I can tell i'm not in the shape I need to be for this format. I'll get there and get this bike on the podium!

[hawaiidirtrider]

I get a bit on interest in my bike, but not tons of in-depth love and curiosity. She's very pretty, so I get a good amount of comments on her!

greatest assets:
1. Fast starter - I should be getting nearly every hole shot.
2. Feels thin and fairly nimble.
3. Stable at speed
4. Great brakes, clutch, and ergos.

Things that need improvement for racing:
1. She's not super light. A set of lighter wheels, LW battery, and no lighting would help.
2. the 300 may not be the best racing motor - it's punchy, but doesn't love to rev. Still plenty fast though. A 350 or 250 probably better for faster circuits. 300 works well in techy circuits where it's low/mid punch really helps out. the FMF Factory Fatty helped with this though.
3. Suspension... Even after I had Stillwell go through it all, it needs some help. The fork deflects to easily still mid corner, and even when setup a bit stiffer I still bottom often on the MX track portions. If I just race purely offroad w/ no MX it's pretty good.

All in all though, she's a great bike!! I just think there a minor room for improvement. If I had a race mechanic, i'm sure I could quickly sort this stuff out. But I don't, probably never will. Ha ha

..just addressing the motor and reving part... maybe a more top end pipe like an fmf fatty or a platinum pro circuit might work nicer.. stock pipe is more like a gnarly which is fine for lots..but for racing it's nice that there are more options in pipes.

[mrquick68]

I get a bit on interest in my bike, but not tons of in-depth love and curiosity. She's very pretty, so I get a good amount of comments on her!

greatest assets:
1. Fast starter - I should be getting nearly every hole shot.
2. Feels thin and fairly nimble.
3. Stable at speed
4. Great brakes, clutch, and ergos.

Things that need improvement for racing:
1. She's not super light. A set of lighter wheels, LW battery, and no lighting would help.
2. the 300 may not be the best racing motor - it's punchy, but doesn't love to rev. Still plenty fast though. A 350 or 250 probably better for faster circuits. 300 works well in techy circuits where it's low/mid punch really helps out. the FMF Factory Fatty helped with this though.
3. Suspension... Even after I had Stillwell go through it all, it needs some help. The fork deflects to easily still mid corner, and even when setup a bit stiffer I still bottom often on the MX track portions. If I just race purely offroad w/ no MX it's pretty good.

All in all though, she's a great bike!! I just think there a minor room for improvement. If I had a race mechanic, i'm sure I could quickly sort this stuff out. But I don't, probably never will. Ha ha

..just addressing the motor and reving part... maybe a more top end pipe like an fmf fatty or a platinum pro circuit might work nicer.. stock pipe is more like a gnarly which is fine for lots..but for racing it's nice that there are more options in pipes.

Totally agreed. I added a fatty for the last two races of the season last year, and it I really liked the power delivery change. Made the bike much more fun to race on wide open tracks, and actually softened the 300 bottom a bit, which was nice when you get tired.

[mrquick68]

well, I've raced 3 more times since the last post!

4th out 22 at Rd 1 of the NORCS hare scramble series, 17th out of 30 in ISDE race in Oregon in Expert 30+, and 4th again in NORCS rd 2. I'm racing up a class and I can tell you its MUCH harder and faster, but I'm getting there. I'll get this bike on the podium soon.

My ISDE results were less than thrilling, but I was fast enough to win 30 Amateur which I got 6th in last year, and I finished 40 positions higher overall compared to last year. So, improvement is happening. I just don't like losing!!!

I'm loving racing the 390RR RE. It makes me faster in all areas except the tight woods, which my 300 is considerably better at. The 390 is better on the MX track, in ruts, cornering, jumping, and in the fast sections. But the 300 can't be beat in gnar single track!!!

[kropa]

Have you completed any more races Mrquick68? I'm enjoying following your racing season.